Practicing Self Care
To celebrate my 2016 accomplishments, I asked for a spa gift certificate for Christmas. I used it New Year's Eve by getting a massage, manicure, and pedicure. I hadn't had a massage in about 6 months so I decided to splurge on a massage that was almost 3 hours. It seemed like a good idea at the time but when I woke up the next morning with a sore throat, I started having different thoughts about my decision.
I had been feeling more stress than usual leading up to the massage as I was pushing hard to reach a last minute goal I set for myself in 2016. The additional stress from the last minute tasks I was trying to fit in, along with the stress of a three-hour massage on a body that hadn't had a massage in over 6 months, put my immune system over the edge.
My sore throat turned into body aches, a fever, whole body chills and sweating, congestion, coughing, runny nose, sneezing, loss of appetite, and an overall feeling of wanting to crawl underneath the covers with the teddy bear I got for Christmas (yes, I asked for it!) and not wake up until feeling like a normal human being. No, I don't get sick often and yes, I think I was successful in getting the flu.
To make matters worse, I was supposed to get on a plane as all of this was happening to my body and go to Denver to attend my last on-site coach training course. I debated cancelling my trip and staying in bed, but decided against it in order to finish what I started 5 months ago with the same people I started my journey.
Now back from my trip having completed my on-site course work, I'm happy with my decision. My body, not so much. While I am feeling better, I don't have much of a voice, am still feeling fatigued, and have a lingering headache.
What did I learn through all of this? I learned the importance of practicing self-care. I usually excel in this area and would consider myself someone who takes good care of themselves, but I was reminded that I do have an edge, or limit of sorts, as to what I can handle before my body will scream and protest. It was a good reminder to slow down and take care of myself. It can be tempting for me to power through and finish all the things on my to do list, but sometimes the most important thing for me to do is to stop and practice self-care. Otherwise, none of the things on the list will get done and even if they do get done, it won't mean as much lying in bed feeling like I'm dying from the flu.
How about you? How do you take care of yourself? How do acknowledge your limits and practice self-care and self-compassion when you find yourself starting to go over your edge?
If you're anything like me, it can be helpful to have support from people who care about me. Having people in my life who remind me to slow down and smell the roses and take time to be loving and gentle with myself, can make all the difference sometimes.
I would love to be one of those people in your life. I'm looking for 5 dream clients right now to enroll in my 3-month signature coaching program. If you, or someone you know, is interested in getting the support and encouragement you need to catapult your career and life to the next level, this program is for you! Click here to grab a 45-minute Empowerment session with me where we will talk about where you are, where you want to be, and determine if this Program is the right fit for you.
In Ultimate Support of You!
Katharine
P.S. I'm offering a discounted rate to the first 5 people who sign up for my signature coaching program so be sure to click here and grab a spot on my calendar today to lock in your discount!
P.S.S. I would love to offer you a free gift to support you in reducing your stress so you don't end up like me in bed with the flu. Click here to access your copy of my Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Reducing Stress and Getting out of Overwhelm. Wanna know the best part? It's 10 easy steps you can start taking immediately to reduce your stress level significantly WITHOUT adding another item to your to do list! Your gonna love it!